Mint*d is a new brand, launched to market in July 2020 by Bupa Dental Care (BDC). This brand is designed to attract Australians who don’t have private health insurance, to make dental care more affordable and accessible to more Australians. BDC is the largest dental provider in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) with over 220 dental practices.

A large driver of dental visitation in Australia is Health Insurance cover and there is a correlation for those that don’t have dental extras cover not attending the dentist regularly. BDC knew that their Bupa Dental brand, although servicing Bupa Health Insurance members well, would not meet the needs of all Australian consumers. Therefore, another brand, to attract non-Bupa HI members, was required to join the portfolio.

The establishment of Mint*d was closely linked to Bupa’s vision of helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives by making dental care more accessible to more Australians. By targeting the non-insured Australian, of which is a little over half of the population (Filling the gap, Grattan Institute, March 2019), BDC was opening a new, largely uncontested market segment, whilst not cannibalising their existing business.

74% of those surveyed in DC’s research said that they are prevented from visiting the dentist more often, because it is too expensive (CVP, Customer insights debrief. February 2018), choosing only to visit the dentist when experiencing pain. Qualitatively this was shown to not be about the final cost itself but rather the uncertainty of cost or concern about incurring a higher than expected cost. Anxiety about the experience and potential pain caused was also high on the list of reasons to avoid going to the dentist, with 24% of people reporting they feared the dentist (CVP, Customer insights debrief, February 2018).

Mint*d had to bring to life a customer service experience that delivered price transparency and reduced anxiety to meet these consumer concerns. Mint*d also aimed to improve accessibility and convenience to encourage those not currently attending the dentist regularly to do so. An omnichannel journey was created, that starts from the moment a potential customer accesses the website or comes directly into the studio, until they receive a personalised follow up via email driving rebooking’s, reviews, and referrals.

The results were something to smile about. Mint*d is bringing in the non-insured and converting them from dental avoiders to epic re-bookers. 63% of Mint*d customers hadn’t had a check-up in at least a year, yet 26% have already returned at least once. 71% of Mint*d’s customers did not hold health insurance. This is an audience that tends to avoid going to the dentist, and without the incentive of extras cover tend to let their oral health check-ups slip. Mint*d’s affordable and transparent prices coupled with a welcoming brand experience prompted them to consider a change.